Magic bounce Knicks in playoff tuneup, 118-103

AP photoOrlando center Dwight Howard (12) passes the ball to a teammate as he is guarded by Knicks forward Earl Barron during the first half Friday night.ORLANDO, Fla. — Dwight Howard and Vince Carter scored 25 points apiece, and the Orlando Magic tuned up for the playoffs with a 118-103 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.

Reserve Ryan Anderson added 19 points to help the Magic build a 24-point lead and hold on for their 17th win in their last 20 games. The Magic swept the season series 3-0 against the Knicks and geared up for a matchup with top-seeded Cleveland on Sunday.

Danilo Gallinari had 28 points, and Chris Duhon had 13 for the Knicks, who have lost six of their last eight. They trimmed the deficit to eight points early in the fourth quarter before Orlando again pulled away.

The Magic showed no mercy.

Already secured their third straight Southeast Division title and the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 playoff seed, they bullied the Knicks from the start. They had fun doing it, too.

J.J. Redick slashed down the baseline in the second quarter and finished with a two-handed layup on a dunk attempt that came up short, bringing the Magic bench players rising in laughter. Marcin Gortat nearly threw down a one-handed dunk a few plays later on Gallinari, whose foul caused a miss, highlighting a 14-5 run in the second quarter that gave Orlando a 19-point lead.

Howard and starters Matt Barnes and Rashard Lewis were waving their towels smiling at Gortat’s aggressiveness, even refusing to sit back on the bench until he came over to give high-fives. Gortat did, then sank the free throws.

If the outcome hadn’t been decided by then, it was quickly after the half. Carter started the third quarter with consecutive 3-pointers, Howard made a pair of hook shots and Jameer Nelson added a 3-pointer to put the Magic ahead 75-51.

Goodbye, New York.

The Magic can now look ahead to Sunday’s game at Cleveland in what could be a preview of an Eastern Conference finals rematch. The top two seeds aren’t likely to show much with the playoffs looming next weekend.

Cleveland coach Mike Brown, with his team already clinching the NBA’s best record, has called the remaining regular-season games "high-level practice." But Magic coach Stan Van Gundy has made it clear he’s not resting his starters.

If only New York had been so lucky.

The Knicks rolled along passively toward the end of another disappointing season. They had careless passes, poor defense and — like many teams — no answer inside for Howard.

They weren’t a welcome guest, either.

Former Magic star Tracy McGrady was booed every time he touched the ball. He made a 3-pointer to start the game and then was mostly silent. He finished with six points.

The Knicks trimmed the deficit to 92-84 on Gallinari’s layup with 10:04 left with the Magic playing mostly reserves. Howard returned, and the Magic were quickly back up big.

NOTES: McGrady reiterated before the game that Orlando would be an "attractive" place to return when he becomes a free agent this summer, an unlikely scenario given the Magic’s salary cap restrictions and depth among other reasons. ... Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni had a comical analogy to describe how the franchise has been clearing salary cap space to prepare for this summer, when several All-Stars could test free agency. "We know there’s a fastball coming, and we want to take a swing at it," D’Antoni said. But, he added, "It might be a changeup. Then we’re screwed."